SGPC Rehat Maryada

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'Sikh Rehat Maryada'

by Mewa Singh


Sikh Code of conduct-Sikh Rehat Maryada (Mandatory for Sikhs)


The Sikh Rehat Maryada also known as the Sikh code of conduct, is the collective decisions of Sikhs concerning the matters with which they have to deal with during the span of their lives. It is in accordance with the Sikh dictums and Sikh religious practices, already being followed by Sikhs from the days of the Sikh Gurus. The SGPC had appointed a committee, consisting of distinguished Sikhs known for their commitment to the Sikh cause, to formulate the Sikh code of conduct after ascertaining the views of all the Sikhs. The committee sought the opinion of all the Sikhs and Sikh organizations and held discussions for long periods and then submitted its report. It was then thoroughly considered by SGPC, which confirmed it and then published it to be strictly observed by Sikhs. The SGPC members of that time were known for their sacrifices in the Gurdwara reforms movement and devoted to the Sikh cause.


It was of the utmost necessity for the Sikhs to have a uniform and consistent Sikh code of conduct as Sikh adversaries and particularly, those who were propagating Sikh religion to be a part of Hinduism, were creating confusions for Sikhs. They did this to lure Sikhs to follow the same Brahmanical rites and rituals, which had been rejected in Sikhism. Even anti-Sikh rites and elements had been reintroduced in Sikh Gurdwaras by the mahants who were acting under the influence of British administration and Brahmanical agents.


Max Arthur Macauliff who resigned the high post of divisional judge in Punjab to author 'The Sikh Religion', published by Oxford University London in 1909, had recorded in its introduction in Vol.1 that the best religion of the present age, the Sikh religion, may not survive for long as Sikhs fell under the Brahmanical spell to follow its rites and rituals categorically prohibited in the Sikh religion and in spite of the warnings of their great Gurus. He surmised that by this blurring of values that Sikhs would forget their Sikh code of conduct and be reabsorbed back into the Hindu fold.


The Sikhs should have the correct historical perspective of the Sikh code of conduct to follow it strictly. No one should take it so lightly as to challenge it on his or her own whims as personal views are to be kept subject to the collective Panthic will. The first dictum of the Sikh religion is to follow the Gurus' word rather than that of his own self-centered mind. The Sikhs, who defy the divine dictum of Guru Gobind Singh regarding the Sikh initiation and Sikh code of conduct, follow their self-centered whims rather than the Gurus' word. This is not permitted in the Sikh religion, as the Guru's word is supreme. Sikhs who make wild allegations that the Sikh code is no longer useless and not part of the Sikh religion, cause irreparable harm to it and injre the sentiments of the overwhelming majority of Sikhs. Tacitly, they also support the Sikh adversaries and their agents, who propagate the abject fallicey of Sikhism being a part of Hinduism. Such an allergy to the Sikh code of conduct, which by their misguided perception stands in their way of wordly gains, destroys and undermines their and the collective Panthic Sikh identity.


Some Sikh writers have even gone to the extent of using the Brahmanical card to mislead the Sikhs stating that the Sikh code of conduct had introduced Brahmanical rites, to create misinformation and re-engeneer Sikh history and education as the clever agents of secret agencies have been known to do. It has become difficult for the Sikhs to even ascertain their genuineness. Another misconceived reasoning is oft presented that the Name of God is the only Amrit in the Sikh religion thus disputing the naming and relevance of Amrit as in 'Khande-ki-Pahul', the Sikh initiation rite. There can be no dispute that the Name of God is ambrosial and everlasting. However it is through the Sikh initiation, introduced by Guru Gobind Singh, the mind is enlightened to the Holy Name and commences the path by which its receiver begins to meditate on it. The criticism of the Sikh initiation using such ill-intentioned created misconceptions is nothing more than to create confusion and distraction in the minds of their audience. The Sikhs and particularly Sikh writers are required to be very cautious in all these matters and to have the self restraint as not to flout the Sikh values and Sikh collective decisions merely on their personal egotistical whims. The religious doctrines, dictums and codes of conduct of a religion are mandatory for all followers and override their personal discretions.


Most of the Sikhs and particularly the Sikh youth are drifting away from the Sikh code of conduct due to the confusions being created and the lack of correct preaching their faith. One can understand why some of them might think that perhaps it is not a necessary part needed to be a Sikh to follow the code of conduct . It needs to be explained to them that it is indeed unequivocally a part of their faith and mandatory for them to follow as Sikhs. One, who believes in the Sikh faith and in none other, who believes in one God, the ten Sikh Gurus and Guru Granth Sahib and their teachings, who the receives the Sikh initiation and lives according to the Sikh code of conduct as prescribed by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, is a Sikh. Some so-called'Sikhs' who avoid the Sikh initiation and do not follow Sikh code of conduct, and some of those who want to dilute Sikh identity to suit their propaganda that Sikhism is part of Hinduism and that Sikhs are a sect of Hindus, often raise a absurd and devisive controversies. They claim that the Sikh initiation and Sikh code of conduct is nowhere described in Guru Granth Sahib and thus not a Divine proclamation of the Sikh Gurus. They even deny the existence of Guru Gobind Singh and the banis he contributed as part of the Sikh initiation They go as far to say that Guru Gobind Singh was a fictional or unsavory character. Outlines of Sikh conduct though, which relate to the organization and temporal aspects of the Sikh religion, are not all contained in the Guru Granth Sahib which mostly contains the spiritual aspects of Name of God. There are additional texts and references that discuss some of these temporal aspects as well. Guru Granth Sahib contains the divine hymns of several saints who were Muslims and Hindus as well as well as those of the Sikh Gurus.


However, interestingly, a clue that the basic requirement of Sikh code of conduct of keeping unshorn hair finds support from the very first Divine declaration of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikh religion, on page one of Guru Granth Sahib. It states that being that one must live under the Divine Will of God the Almighty. The hair on the body, including the beard, are under the creative will of God and when allowed to grow stop when they have reached their preprogrammed length.That length may differ depending on the individual. The hair is as much a part of the natural human form as any other part of the body. If shorn, one would obviously be in defiance of Will of God, which is not permitted in Sikh religion. Of importance, it is recorded, that all the Sikh Gurus and their committed devoted followers kept their hair unshorn.


The Sikh religion was founded by Guru Nanak Dev and developed by his nine successors. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, completed its final phase. He made very important and a fundamental divine declaration that added to the previous Gurus' institutions and concretized for all time the complete identity and form of the true Sikh . This was to prescribe the Sikh initiation of Amrit, the five Sikh emblems in uniform and the Sikh code of conduct, on Baisakhi of 1699. He himself prepared the Amrit and administered it to Panj Pyaras, five devout devotees who heeded his call that day to sacrifice and serve. Having administered the Khade-ki Pahul to them, he then vested them with the authority to administer the Amrit to other Sikhs in that very same manner. Any five initiated Sikhs strictly adhering to the Sikh code of conduct may be selected by the sangat of other initiated Sikhs to conduct this new most pivotal rite of commitment to the Sikh faith. It replaced the 'Charan Pahul' previously used by the previous nine Gurus to induct devotees into the Sikh faith. Guru Gobind Singh was not himself above this same code of conduct. He himself submitted to the Amrit from those Panj Pyaras to whom he had originally administered the Amrit, thus also becoming a disciple and as he did the original five, his name was changed from Rai to Singh. The collective corporate body of initiated Sikhs became known as the Khalsa. He had instructed for Singhs leading future initiations to administer the same rites to all who wished to embrace the Sikh faith. They were also, during these initiations, to pass on a series of instructions pertinent to Sikh life. He directed all the Sikhs present there to get the Amrit. History records that over twenty thousand devotees took the Sikh initiation of Amrit on that day. They all had their keshas and other bodily hair intact and unshorn. Over eighty thousand Sikhs got the Sikh initiation of Amrit in that first week. It is more than sufficient to establish that the Sikh initiation of Amrit was meant for all who claimed to submit to the Guru's instruction. Guru Gobind Singh issued a Hukamnama to all the Sikhs in the very next month of Jeth that all who followed the Guru's path to take the Sikh initiation of Amrit, to keep the five Sikh emblems and to strictly follow Sikh code of conduct as prescribed by him. He made it very clear in his divine proclamations that there can be no exemption to it, being mandatory for all the Sikhs thus finalizing the completeness and sealing the separate Sikh identity. Submission to the collective sangat, the Khalsa, was mandatory even for the Guru. He also submitted to the will of the collective Khalsa sangat. It is recorded clearly in Sikh history, among other incidents, a case of him leaving the fort following the battle of Chamkaur, for now, as an initiated disciple, he obediently followed an edict issued by the Khalsa to leave it. All the Sikh Gurus had the same Divine Spirit. A mission was instilled in each that took ten Gurus to complete. One who declares him or herself to be a Sikh is bound to follow the injunctions of Guru Gobind Singh, tenth Sikh Guru, including the Sikh initiation and Sikh code of conduct prescribed by him, and thereby be a part of the Sikh religion.


The other divine declaration of Guru Gobind Singh was to ordain the Sikhs to accept Guru Granth Sahib, the Divine Spirit of Sikh Gurus, Eternal Sikh Guru in perpetuity for all the times to come and to obtain the divine wisdom from its divine proclamations with purity of heart. They are to accept is as being the Word of God. A true Sikh, and many non-Sikhs worldwide do recognize that Guru Granth Sahib is Guru of Sikhs and that there is no controversy regarding this point. Many non-Sikhs worldwide, including historians and witnesses present at the time, have also know this for hundreds of years.


There is no controversy as well, as to the core beliefs of a Sikh, in one God, in ten Sikh Gurus, Guru Granth Sahib and the teachings contained wherein. It is obvious that the requisite qualifications to be a Sikh are uniform and the same. There are no classifications or categories in Sikhs. One is a Sikh or not. However due to the lack of the correct understanding of the Sikh initiation, Sikh emblems, Sikh code of conduct and of Sikh historical perspectives, the man-made classifications such as, Amritdhari Sikhs, Keshdhari Sikhs, Sehejdhari Sikhs and Khalsa Sikhs have been propagated. It is clearly defined as that the Sikh form is mandatory for all Sikhs without exemption. Claiming to be following the path of the Gurus, on does not have discretion to alter these mandatory dictums. Simply claiming to be a Sikh or bacause one is from a Sikh family does not make one a Sikh. To note, every religion has its own form of initiation, emblems and code of conduct binding their followers, its own ideology, doctrines and religious practices. Sikhism is not exception.


Everyone is free to follow the faith he or she prefers. To be true to that faith though, one is obliged to obey the dictums of that religion. It amounts to hypocrisy, falsehood and a lack of personal integrity to do one thing and say another. One is not being a true adherent of that faith who engages in double standards. Self-created classifications or categories misrepresent Sikhs and Sikhism. Some Sikhs and particularly 'Sikh' youths are drifting away from Sikh code of conduct and way of life by being exposed to misinformation, through want of personal convenience and from shear lack of will to follow the Guru's path.


Some who have elected not to receive the Sikh initiation and observe the Sikh code of conduct, have gone to the extent of asserting that these requirements to be a Sikh should be abrogated by Sikhs themselves as majority of Sikhs do not comply with them. Instead responsible individual initiate Sikhs need to teach others and encourage them to understand and comply with these critical mandatory norms of Sikhism to be true Sikhs.


Detractors have also put forth the argument that in no country except India, Sikhs been given the legislative right to wear the kirpan and to be able to engage in occupations with beard and turban and that elsewhere it is not possible to keep the Sikh emblems. This is not altogether true. It ihas always been possible but not always easy to be Sikh. It requires that Sikhs advocate, fight and even sacrifice personal resources for positive change that will not only help them integrate intact in a given society but by extension make the lives of other members of other communities better.


The Khalsa is an agent for positive change since that very first initiation in 1699. Case in point is the historical fact that, under the Mughal regime, Sikhs had been offered the alternatives of choosing any occupation of their choice in civil or military capacities providing they give up the articles of their faith and adopt Islam or risk being tortured and killed. Such typical injustice and oppression affected all members of Punjabi society. Yet the Sikhs categorically refused such offers and opted for death. It was with this high spirit that they remained in the struggle for about a century against those tyrants, lifted the morale of the ambient people to overthrow the yoke of oppression. They soundly routed the Mughal Empire and established a tolerant, peaceful, though short-lived Sikh empire.


Those autocratic rules are of a bygone era. It is now the day of the democratic world. Had the Sikhs themselves not given up their initiation, emblems and Sikh code of conduct in the countries to which they migrated, and chosen instead to unreservedly keep them, the Governments of these countries might have long ago accepted their rights in this regard. There are many examples of Sikhs prosecuted for carrying a kirpan being ultimately acquitted as the kirpan is truly an article of faith. If someone was discriminated for wearing a turban, that individual was ultimately vindicated by the law. If all the Sikhs follow the Sikh initiation, wear their articles of faith and follow the code of conduct, they will have the blessings of their Gurus and their persistence will result in their rights being acknowledged through statutes in all the countries, automatically. There are considerable numbers of initiated Sikhs observing the Sikh code of conduct now in every country. By personal persistence, patience and some lobbying, they have come to be accepted. A current struggle in France for the right to wear the turban now hangs in the balance. It is partially because of its deplorable position regarding articles of faith that London was chosen instead of Paris for the site of the next Olympic games. It is up to Sikhs to fight for their rights. In time, with dogged determination, these type of issues may become a thing of the past.


It is imperative that Sikhs not abandon these mandatory requirements, this behavior being suicidal, but to pursue legal recognition from the countries in which they reside. Sikh emblems and the Sikh code of conduct, prescribed by the tenth Guru, are an integral part of the Sikh religion. No Sikh, in true conscience, has a right to challenge it. Sikhs are rather, duty bound to follow it.


Various scholars of the Sikh religion have held these to be mandatory for Sikhs. To quote the British scholar, Jeans Culler," Eliminate your symbols, my dear Singh, and watch the Khalsa crumble. Take off the turban, Shave the beard, cut the hair, throw aside the Kara and I can tell you truthfully that the result would be embarrassing as well as disastrous". These five symbols had held the Sikhs through some of the most trying times in united brotherhood. They serve to make a Sikh and act as a Sikh. They endow him or her with courage to accomplish the feats, which otherwise would be impossible for an average man. To make a long story short, these five symbols have a psychological bearing on the person who wears them. They are a manifestation of the the presence of the Guru, the Eternal. Professor . Puran Singh, the eminent Sikh scholar, remarked, "It is very strange that when a Sikh is baptized, he feels new life come to him as if the Guru lives and sends in one glance a wave of life and inspiration." British eminent historian, J.D.Cunningham, commented, " It was on the basic principles of Guru Nanak, that Guru Gobind Singh formed such a nation which elevated every one politically and religiously after doing away with the class system."


The Sikhs had to pay the price for altering their distinct identities when they ignored their code of conduct and Sikh way of life. Sikhs are having to make up for lost ground and face significant hardship trying to now recover, reeducate and live within the parameters of their faith. The integrity of the Sikh faith cannot be maintained unless adherents faithfully follow its precepts in their daily lives.


The Sikh religion has already been highly acclaimed by scholars of other world religions. Eminent western scholars and historians have commented it to be a religion of the modern age, capable of solving the problems of modern man. Devotees of the Sikh faith need only to peruse their scriptures to discover this to be true. It has no doubt been a challenge for immigrants to face initial challenges when following the Guru's code of conduct.The solution, though not easy, is a must. All Sikhs who migrated to various countries of the world must keep their head and bodily hair including beards unshorn, keep their turbans on their heads, take the amrit, keep all articles of their faiths, follow the Gurus' edicts, fight for their rights and educate others as to who they are when these rights are challenged. Many people of those countries had come to know long ago who Sikhs are. More work needs to be done to educate others. This is the only way to avoid mistaken identity.


It is a historical fact that as long as Sikhs have taken the Sikh initiation and followed the Sikh code of conduct, were ultimately victorious. They even established a sovereign state after defeating the Mughals and Afghans in a century-long struggle. It is when when they ignored it, that they could not get their ordinary demands met. Sikhs have to follow all the dictums of their religion and become true Sikhs inwardly and outwardly without any reservations. The SGPC and the management committees of all Gurdwaras need to ensure this by preaching the Sikh religion with honesty of purpose.

Mewa Singh, Retd. Judge, New Jersey-USA [email protected]